5 Things I Learned as a Public Servant

After three years in service to the state, I have decided to commit to change and seek new challenges and growth opportunities. Three years ago, a few weeks before I was to start a mid-career degree program at the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), a public sector job came up unexpectedly. It was the job I expected to land after completing my degree. Given the option of taking a year off to learn about government versus tackling the problems within government firsthand, I chose the latter. Even though the "classroom" at HKS represented a tremendous opportunity to learn from seasoned public sector professionals from around the world, I knew there was no substitute for my own lived experience.

I knew that there was an upcoming change in administration -- I braced myself to start a job at the time of the predictable leadership turnover (that happens in the year prior and the year following the official change of guard at the top). While leadership-driven changes in priorities and agendas can disrupt certain work streams, that change also creates opportunity. New people infuse fresh ideas and approaches. It was fascinating to compare how different administrations and leadership teams approached the same issues. It also required learning how to adjust one’s approach to be effective with new leadership and some restructuring.

Am starting to process that experience and to reflect on my last three years. Below are 5 things I learned from being a public servant:

1) The system works

You’ll hear how the system is broken, full of bureaucracy, corrupt, etc. At times, whether you are on the inside or the outside of public service, sometimes that feels true. Let’s take it point by point:

Is the system “broken”?

I’d say it is fragmented and has silos. Getting all the parts to line up can be challenging. The need for accountability leads to many different people having ownership over different parts of the system. This isn’t unique to government. I have seen the same in large academic or medical institutions.

Is the system bureaucratic?

Yes. Any system that must document its activity for the public record, to ensure transparency and fairness, does generate a lot of paperwork. If you were designing end-to-end functionality, you would plan for more efficiency. Instead, the system we have is due to layers of piecemeal legislation over the years. It feels a lot like reading the five conflicting parking signs over one Boston parking spot and never being sure if somehow your car will get ticketed or towed. 

Is the system corrupt?

No. The system does, though, respond best to anyone who understands how it works and can navigate the convoluted rules. It is like how you can always tell the out-of-town driver who is stymied by Boston’s narrow, one-way streets, (that are all named Washington). Folklore tells us that Boston streets are paved over cow paths. Whether that is true, these streets were definitely not designed for cars. The best way to learn Boston streets is to drive or walk them. Navigating government is very similar. The best way to learn how to make your government  work for you is to interface with it or work within it.

2) Show up with solutions

You have the right to your opinion and the right to communicate it. However, in a democratic process, the right for your idea to be accepted is not guaranteed. The more you can think through the problem you are highlighting to arrive at an actionable solution, the more likely you will get the action you want from a decision maker. With so many issues to deal with at once and so many crises going on, the easier you make it for someone help you, the more successful your “ask” will be. Luck favors the prepared. 

3) Relationships and reputation matter

Even bureaucrats are human. Things like honesty, reliability, being a good sport, or just being likeable have value that can’t be measured. Being that person who can go beyond talking points and who shows up with solutions creates a positive relationship and reputation. There are some people who get a reputation for getting their way by being difficult. That person, though, isn’t going to be invited to participate when people are looking for honest conversation or balanced solutions.

4) You can’t fix all of the problems all of the time, but you can fix some of the problems some of the time.

Even the most motivated and soft-hearted public servant has constraints. There are many factors at play like fixed budgets, staffing realities, regulatory obligations, and competing demands from the public. Public accountability requires taking fair, justifiable action. Knowing that is the context decision makers operate within, be ready to rank your priorities. If you can find alignment with other stakeholders or advocates before you approach a decision maker, the more traction you will get.

5) Persistence pays off

Timing is everything. Depending on many factors, like leadership agenda or budget realities, priorities might change. If your idea is not getting traction at one time, don’t give up. In the policy world, things move quickly. Being in the right place at the right time with the right information is key. The more you show up, contribute, and participate, the more you increase your odds of effectiveness. It is like trying to find a parking spot in Boston. If you keep at it, you will eventually find a (legal) spot. Similarly, you have to keep giving someone a chance to say "yes" even if it means hearing "no" a lot of times. 

Finally, I’ll leave you with a couple of quotes that ring true:

“The government is merely a servant―merely a temporary servant; it cannot be its prerogative to determine what is right and what is wrong, and decide who is a patriot and who isn't. Its function is to obey orders, not originate them.” ― Mark Twain

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” ― Margaret Mead